


Elide

by willowcatkin



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 16:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17964410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowcatkin/pseuds/willowcatkin
Summary: And even when her home crumbles to nothing around her, no one will hear it. Debris born from grudge that stems deep into its foundation falls. Rocks and ash drift like stardust, muffling and soft like sound through water. The walls that used to block out the notes, amplifying them and distorting their intricately crafted meanings, collapse and fold like the delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings.





	Elide

There’s a deep thrum that vibrates through the air, vaguely perceptible, but utterly silent.

For the first time, it’s silent.

And even when her home crumbles to nothing around her, no one will hear it. Debris born from grudge that stems _deep_ into its foundation falls. Rocks and ash drift like stardust, muffling and soft like sound through water. The walls that used to block out the notes, amplifying them and distorting their intricately crafted meanings, collapse and fold like the delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings.  

And for the first time, Vanya feels calm. Because the admiration that corrupted into jealousy when she could _never_ reach them, has finally diffused into a diaphanous hatred.

She remembers vaguely, now that there’s a distinction, that she had always been angry. There’s a subtle line between the two—one that she had never tried to cross before.

Because anger was loud, and it was desperate. Every note, the tension of the strings and the friction of the bow hair, they were desperate— _desperate_ to be heard above the silence of the dry, lukewarm air.

But now, power flickers and sparks around her calloused fingertips, vibrating steadily and controlled. It sings to her, quiet and smoothly _cantabile_.

So, when she tilts her head to rest it on the violin, she doesn’t feel lonely. The tension in the air between them is overwhelmingly palpable in its lucidity. Its presence is like glass and presses like shards, razor fine, yet reflective.

For the first time, her string crossings are hopelessly smooth, a perfection she never tried to obtain.

Because all Vanya had ever wanted was to be heard. It’s too late now though, not when this foreign and beautiful flame dances before her eyes.

There’s something wrong about it, like the dramatic flare of rosin in the air after a distinct, biting _crack_ that embodies an accent played at the frog.

But she’s never heard anything quite so beautiful and silent.

And suddenly the perfectly even _spiccato_ that flows effortlessly and steadily, brims with excitement.

It’s the first time that she’s being heard, yet _they_ are here to stop it.

And it’s not enough. The sound is starting to come back, it’s reverberating off the confining walls, dissonant and frayed—like the unraveling seams of this unworthy world.

But as the addicting, sweetly empowering energy flows into her, she hears a note.

It’s not one that she registers externally, but one from inside.

Because for someone who always had something to say, someone whose power resided in her voice, Allison is terribly quiet.

And it’s Vanya’s fault.

It’s like something in her shatters and the sound comes rushing back, exhilarating and familiar. It’s a feeling akin to nostalgia and makes her wonder how she didn’t miss it.

Because she does, and the beautiful flame burns itself to ashes, lighting its descent like the multicolored, evanescent sparks of short-lived fireworks.    

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated <3


End file.
